The present invention relates to printing presses and pertains particularly to a washer for the ink rollers of a lithographic press.
The rollers of a printing press must be periodically cleaned, particularly at the end of each workday. It is often necessary to clean the rollers more often, particularly when different colors of ink are to be used.
The typical approach to the cleaning of the rollers of small presses, such as the lithographic type, is by means of cleanup sheets. Cleanup sheets are absorbent sheets of paper similar to paper towels that are used to wipe ink from the rollers. The ink on the rollers is first softened by water or a suitable solvent and then wiped off with the cleanup sheets. This is a time consuming and dirty task, usually taking upwards of about forty-five minutes for the typical machine.
Accordingly, it is desirable that an improved method and apparatus be available for cleaning ink and the like from the rollers of a printing press.